National Human Genome Research Institute

National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Third NIH Conference on Holoprosencephaly (HPE):
Midline and Laterality Development

This conference is supported by the NIH Office of Rare Diseases
and the Carter Centers for Brain Research in Holoprosencephaly
and Related Malformations

Clinical residents and fellows are invited to attend a meeting we are holding in April 2004 on a rare disorder, holoprosencephaly (HPE). HPE, a developmental defect affecting the forebrain and face, has many causes, some of which are genetic, and has been the focus of my laboratory's work for many years.

In April 2000 we held the 1st National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference on Holoprosencephaly (HPE) featuring both national and international experts in various aspects of HPE. That meeting was so successful that we followed it with the 2nd NIH Conference on Holoprosencephaly and Early Embryonic Development in April 2002. We are now preparing for the Third NIH Conference on Holoprosencephaly.

The first day of the meeting, Sunday, April 18, will be devoted to basic science, while the second day, Monday, April 19, will be geared more toward clinical science and dysmorphology. The third day of the conference, Tuesday, April 20, will be an information and discussion session for parents of children with HPE. It will be a unique opportunity for trainees to meet with families who have experienced living with this disorder.

We think this will be a wonderful opportunity for trainees to learn more about the prenatal development of a brain anomaly and the postnatal consequences both clinically and socially. We invite them to submit an abstract on either clinical or basic science aspects of HPE for presentation as a poster. To facilitate participation by trainees, we will offer a partial travel stipend to up to 20, first-author trainees based on the quality of their abstracts and the funds available.

As in our previous conferences, Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits are given for attendees who request them.

Please feel free to call me, or my associate, Cherye Milburn, at (301) 435-6685, if you have questions or need more information.